Well-digger



(NModeLj w A. ODEWAHN 8: F. REIGHART.

WELL DIGGBR.

Patented June 1.2, 1894.

1 E I E WITNESSES:

:+-. air. m 7? TTOHNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

I ARTHUR ODEWAHN AND FREDERICK REICHART, OF ,LOUISVILL KENTUCKY.

WELL-DIGGER.

SPCIFIOATION formng part of Letters Patent No. 521,1'75, dated'June 12, 1894.

Application filed June 21, 1893.

To all whom it may oonoern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR ODEWAHN and FREDERICK REICHART, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Well-Diggers, of which the followlng, taken in connection with the accompanymg drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to boring devices or tools especially designed for use under the surface of water, and consists in certain peculiarities hereinafter more fully pointed out and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all vlews, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the device with the outer shell raised a suficient degree above the boring and cutting auger to show clearly the detail arrangement of the latter. Fig. 2 is a slmilar viewturned partly around, showing-as in Fig. l-one of the flap valves ralsed above its normal position as in the act of boring into the soft. earth under water and Fig. 3 is a bottom end view of the device.

.attached to a central standard --A is a pan' of rigid blades -b-bwhich have on their free edges a sharp cutting edge suitable for use in cutting into the earth, and hinged to such fixed blades is a pair of flap valves -c-c-. There are two boring points --F- F- secured below the rigid cutting blades -c-c-- which points are so arranged below the blades -cso as to out into the earth in advance of such blades and loosen the earth so that said blades will easily out under such loosened and softened earth and cause it to pass within the she11--B-, which is set at its lowest point during the'operation of the device.

It will be seen that there are pins --a'- on the lower edge of the she1l--B-, projecting below such shell and entering the holes --a-a-- cut in the rigid portions --b-b-- of the auger, said pins -i-a'flbeing in the necessary positions to register with such holes and hold the shell HB securely in position while it is being revolved in the process of bei-ing. The flap-valves cflc-flare hin ed at their edges to the rigid portions "ab-H -f- Serial No. 478,366. (No model.)

leaving one side of each valve free to rise when pressure is brought to bear from below, the hinges --d-dbeing on the inner side of the device so as to present as little resistance as possible in turning the device in the soil which is being cut into, and in practice the turning of the whole device results in filling the outer shell -B- with the earthV and such stones as will enter the space left open when the valves -c-care lifted, the pins -a'- resting meantime in the holes --aand causing the shell -B- to move with the augers. This is continued until the shell -B- is filled, whereuponv the whole device is lifted from the well or other hole being bored, the pin --gdrawn from its engagement. with the standard -A- and collar D, which is integrally united with the shell B by the arched arms O and the shell is raised so as to permit dumping the contents of the shell -B-.

The pin-gis attached, preferably, to a short chain of suitable length one end of such chain being connected securely to the standard -A-, and the standard -A- is providedwith a slot at a convenient point above the boring' tool, so that when said shell B- is at its lowest position the pin -gmay be inserted in the slot -e-- in the collar -D-- and into the said slot in the standard -A--, thus assisting the pins -a'- to hold the shell -B in position during revolution of the device.

It will be observed that by employing the pin gand the slots in the collar and standard for the upper connection upon the raised arms O, and the pins a' engaging; the holes a for the lower connection, the shell B is firmly secured in position against the rotation of the auger at such points that practically no obstruction is offered by such combination to the movement of the earth in the shell as the auger is rotated and the shell is filled. These features constitute an important improvement, and great advantages are thereby secured, because by our construction it is not pnecessary to make the standard A of'v Square or angular cross-section, which contiguration is more expensive in fi-tting, nor is it necesi sary to provide cross braces running from the central standard to the side of the shell,

IOO

which offer great obstruction to the free moveinent of the earth in the shell, especially when the latter is almost filled and thus greatly angment the labor required to work the anger. At the saine time our construction greatly facilitates the raising of tlie shell for dumping the earth, since the only coniiection which has to be unloosed for that purpose is that of the pin g in the slots e, very couveniently placed for tlie purpose and free from contact with tlie earth in the shell; while the other securing means, the engagement of the pins a' in the holes a, are disengaged automatically, when the shell is lifted.

We are aware that it is not broadly new to provide means for lockng the outer edges of the cutting blades direct to the lower edges of the shell to prevent lateral movement, but we are the first, so far as we are aware, to confine such looking means entirely within the periphery of the shell. As already stated, our invention is more particularly devised for boring under water and at considerable depth, and because the resistance at great deptlis is considerable, we have found it to be of the utinost importance to confme the locking devices and indeed all the parts of the anger within the periphery of the shell, because any projection beyond the periphery must be forced round, as the boring progresses, against the lateral resistance of the earth outside the shell. Such resistance is much greater than the resistance met by the cutting blades, because of the pressure of the the water, the loosened earth passing into the interior of the shell --B-, and there remaining and accumulating with each revolution of the whole device until it is filled to its capacity when it is to be raised and dumpedas set forth. The tendency during revolution Will be to lift the flap valves, but When the device is being raised the weight of the contents of the shell --B- will be sufficient to close the fiap-valves and hold them in pos1- tion so as to preclude the escape of any of the contents of such shell -B--.

Having described the invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an earth auger, the combination of a vertical standard, a euttiug blade Secured to the lower end of said standard, a shell or bucket sliding on said standard above said blade, a lockin g device at the upper connection of said shell and standard which locksthe same against vertical movement thereon, and'a looking device looking the loweredge of said shell directly to the outer edge of said blade against lateral movement only, such looking device being coinprised within the peripliery of the shell snbstantially as described.

2. In an earth auger, the combination of a vertical standard a pair of cutting blades secured to the lower end of said standard, said blades being perforated near their outer edge, a shell or biicket sliding on said standard, and pins, projectingdownward from the shell, to the nner side of which they are secured near its lower edge, adapted to pass through the perforations of the blades, to hold the shell against backward pressure, substantially as described.

In testiinony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this lth day of February, 1893.

Witnesses:

FREDERIGK II. GIBBs, WALTER DURBY. 

